EMC-sponsored report shows that by 2020 the digital universe will reach 40bn TB

Despite the unprecedented expansion of the digital universe due to the massive amounts of data being generated daily by people and machines, IDC estimates that only 0.5% of the world’s data is being analysed, according to the EMC-sponsored IDC Digital Universe study, “Big Data, Bigger Digital Shadows, and Biggest Growth in the Far East”.

The global personal device boom has increased Internet access within emerging markets and the boost in data from machines such as surveillance cameras or smart metres has contributed to the doubling of the digital universe within the past two years to 2.8 ZB (a zettabyte is 1bn terabytes). IDC projects that the digital universe will reach 40 ZB by 2020, an amount that exceeds previous forecasts by 14%. Forty ZB of data is equivalent to 57 times the amount of all the grains of sand on all the beaches on earth. There are 700,500,000,000,000,000,000 grains of sand on all the beaches on earth (or seven quintillion five quadrillion). If all 40 ZB of data was saved onto today’s Blu-ray discs, the weight of those discs (without any sleeves or cases) would be the same as 424 Nimits-class aircraft carriers. In 2020, 40 ZB will be 5,247 GB per person worldwide.

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“As the volume and complexity of data barraging businesses from all angles increases, IT organisations have a choice: they can either succumb to information-overload paralysis, or they can take steps to harness the tremendous potential teeming within all of those data streams. This year’s study underscores the massive opportunity that exists for businesses that not only identify the potential benefits of the digital universe, but recognise the importance of navigating that universe with the right balance of technology, data security practices and IT skills. At EMC, we’re uniquely positioned to help customers manage, protect and unlock game-changing value from data that translates directly into competitive advantage,” said Jeremy Burton, executive vice president, Product Operations and Marketing, EMC Corporation.